I bought a blue one and a red one Chris, So far so good .

 

I find it all quite therapeutic and addictive.

 

I got a few pen/telescopic ones from Lidl's has round and flat sides along with a groove on other work pretty good

Also have some card stones from USA 4 grades plus a big tablet one in a leather sleeve pouch use for things like the axe/chisels etc

 

I use the jag stones and vice for carping gets the points sticky sharp

 

Nice info chris , been looking for a while for something like that.
The ones I am currently using seem to be a bit cumbersome , these look like they will do the job nicely :thumbsup:

 

when Hunting you would always hone your knife before using so this thread has made me wonder.
Unlike a knife I’m the worst for trusting a new hook, I just just assume it’s right :veryconfused: does anyone test and sharpen before use as i guess it does make total sense to do so ?

 

when Hunting you would always hone your knife before using so this thread has made me wonder.
Unlike a knife I’m the worst for trusting a new hook, I just just assume it’s right :veryconfused: does anyone test and sharpen before use as i guess it does make total sense to do so ?

I always try to check hooks between casts , also before use , had a few out of the same batch which were of a noticeable different sharpness !!

 

I bought the eze-lap pen sharpener some years back, its good but I just use if for serated kitchen knives now.
My go to sharpener for trout to bass hooks these days is a simple black emery board.
2 grades of abrasion.
No heart break if you lose it, snap them in half, they weigh next to nothing and cost Nil if you nick 'em from the Missus' make up bag

 

My leatherman Wave diamond blade works as well as anything I have seen, but it only goes either on the beach, rocks or when freshwater fishing sessions. I also have one of tohe Lidls "diamond sharpening pens" that Tournamag mentions, that goes everywhere with me in my boat box, it it cant get a sticky point on a hook, the hook is chucked and a new one tied on.

Dave

 

Nice info chris , been looking for a while for something like that.
The ones I am currently using seem to be a bit cumbersome , these look like they will do the job nicely :thumbsup:

I cracked and ordered the red one

 

I am spending a lot of time with the blue, sharpening every knife in the kitchen, a long winter its gonna be.

 

Great thread great advise thanks lads

 

Not sure how true it is, but I've read you can't/shouldn't sharpen chemically sharpened hooks..not sure why this would be?

 

I got a few pen/telescopic ones from Lidl's has round and flat sides along with a groove on other work pretty good

That's what I use and I agree they seem to work ok, and I find the groove makes sharpening hooks a bit easier...

 

I just bought a medium , fine and super fine from amazon for £19.70 , I normally use a hook sharpener with a handle but find it quite coarse , thanks for the heads up Black Tide

 

No worries, enjoy. They are a very handy size, very light and you can use them on your knives too. The key is just to get the sharpening angle right. Cheers, Chris

 

Gave the blue one a proper go on Chesil last night and I will say its the only hook sharpener i've ever used that will sharpen Varivas hooks. I've just ordered another 2

 

You shouldn't have to sharpen a modern chemically sharpened hook before use unless the point has become damaged or corroded ... I have always tested every hook before it goes on a rig and every cast, simply because when I started fishing it was necessity as we didn't have chemically sharpened hooks about then and larger sizes in particular always needed work when they came out of the box. The other point is (excuse the pun) that once you file an etched point you will have to keep doing it because you have ruined the surface of the metal.

Not quite so fancy, but like pretty much every angler I know, I have always carried a sharpening stone in my gear with a point honing groove in it .... 3 inches long, cheap as chips and will do exactly the same job. In actual fact you will find it is much easier to get a good point with the grooved narrow stone than a flat sharpener. Just reading this with a customer and he commented that he couldn't believe that there were supposed "old hands" out there that didn't carry some form of hook sharpener as to us its one of those vitally important pieces of kit that you don't go without.

 

I agree with what you saying Russ and over the years I've used plenty of different hook stones but this Eze lap one is the only hook sharpener that i've managed to re sharpen a Varivas hook with. Id normally just get another rig out once the hook became slightly blunt but this sharpener did a decent enough job . It passed the nail test which is how I judge the sharpness of any hook.

 

Its worth checking your hook point, had a mate years ago lost cod after cod in the good old days. In the end he checked his hook and the point had broken off. It was in the dark and a lot of anglers just fished with pressure lamps so visibility was not the best thing.

 

I guess Im just being a bit lazy Russ and thought I might make the hooks last the full session instead of getting new rigs out.

I do the same mate ... if I can get a point sorted I will rather than ditching the rig not least because I find rig tying boring

Have been buying stuff off Chronos here and there for years (have a nice jig and dial gauge setup off them) .... good outfit to deal with :thumbsup:

 

The other point is (excuse the pun) that once you file an etched point you will have to keep doing it because you have ruined the surface of the metal.

What do you mean by this Russ- I understand that once you file you go through the rust resistant coating but this is the same on any hook regardless as to whether it has been etched or not surely?

I have been trying Diamond as opposed to a stone I have had for the last 20 years, the Diamonds I am trying are quicker but look to be wearing down/ loading in a way that the stone hasn't, had one with a groove in 35 years ago and would like to try one again, a groove makes it easier but if you are going for three flats meeting, and are actually capable of holding those angles accurately, I think flat is going to give the best results.

 

What do you mean by this Russ- I understand that once you file you go through the rust resistant coating but this is the same on any hook regardless as to whether it has been etched or not surely?

With chemically etched hooks they have a hardened outer surface (nothing to do with preventing corrosion) but underneath the metal is softer. The idea is that you get a hard wearing needle fine point but with enough give to not be too brittle. This is why the extreme point of the hook snaps off rather than dull or bend over. When Kamasans first hit the UK and everybody got into chemically sharpened jobbies they had a few issues but once the Japanese got the points right they were a cracking hook.

If you look at the design of the points on the old spearpoint hooks they had a short point which made the points much more reliable (Made in the UK :thumbsup whereas the current trend for long thin points is prone to give the point a very short life span and make the points overly brittle.

 

I'm confident that all my new rigs have sharp hooks on, all of them will have tasted flesh long before they ever get to the beach! I get what Russ is saying, I normally use a Mustad Viking pattern that I know will need a re-dress more often so keep in the habit of checking with a quick scratch on a thumb nail and a few passes over with a little diamond grove sharpener. That's my preferred system for marks that I know will punish terminal tackle. I bought my little key ring sharpener off of fish tec for £2. I'm not saying its as good as the ones you guys are using, but at that price, I don't rage when I get home to find them still on the beach with my pliers, spare multi and various other items. Ever wondered the irony in picking up all your line, hooks, rubbish etc and then leaving someone else some lovely gifts!

 

It was the explanation that kamasan used to give to the reason why people struggled to get a good point on their chemically etched points. They reckoned the chemicals effected the surface layer of the metal left behind. Certainly if you blunt a chemically sharpened hook you will struggle to get it to hold a sharp point for any length of time.[/QUOTE

I use the Kamasan Aberdeens and they are wonderfully sharp when new from the packet. Regarding the Varivas BMX, I had my own doubts about points snapping as it happened once on a fish and a couple of times on rock in a hook snag. I thought about the situation as a whole and as to whether it affected the ability to catch and land fish and the effects of the sharpening. I have never lost a fish to a snapped point but, I have snapped plenty of hooks when in snags.

I snapped one point on a 33lb eel above the barb, the other times it was in hook snags and with a great deal of pressure put on, more than I would with any fish I'd target with those hooks. The Kamasans seem to have a different coating to the Varivas BMX, the BMX has a gunmetal type coating, as soon as you sharpen past it, it becomes bright like a stainless steel. I resharpen the BMX between casts if needed, they work fine, I wouldn't put one out if I thought they were sharpened to such a degree that a fish could snap the point on entry, I think if you sharpen above the barb, you aren't really going to have any issues and I like the fact I can take them back to razor sharp and reuse rather than chucking. However, my experience is based on 3/0's and above, not very fine hooks generally, so there is plenty of material to sharpen on a BMX.

I agree they are a hook that fractures, clean snaps as opposed to bends straight but, economy comes into all of it. I would like some of those beautiful handmade hooks that cost £10 or £15 a pop in the states but, I don't see that it would make much difference to my fishing here.

It's a good topic this one though and ultimately we've all got to have confidence in our tackle and methods.

 

It was the explanation that kamasan used to give to the reason why people struggled to get a good point on their chemically etched points. They reckoned the chemicals effected the surface layer of the metal left behind. Certainly if you blunt a chemically sharpened hook you will struggle to get it to hold a sharp point for any length of time.

Sounds like a good way to sell more hooks. Nothing I know about etching would have that effect, once you get through whatever layer is used to stop them rusting the points will degrade a bit more quickly, the carp boys will dip a sharpened hook in vaseline to stop it blunting in the water, I guess the sea is worse still. Some freshwater venues are supposedly worse than others depending on the pH. Which I find really odd, you stick a point in acid and it gets sharper. I used to resharpen blunt files like this. You would have thought some waters would sharpen a hook rather than blunt it. Anyway, I have found that Kamasan uptides are the easiest to sharpen, although chemically sharpened they aren't very sharp so I touch them up out of the packet, they hold a point really well and touch up easiest. Better still are Mustard Chinu - sharp enough to start off with that I leave them alone, and it took a while to get the hang of sharpening them as the points aren't straight but they last really well. Cox and Rawl meat hooks- made of cheese. As Chris said, if only someone would start making decent handmade ones

 

Sounds like a good way to sell more hooks.

If memory serves me correctly it was something to do with them surface hardening the hooks when they chemically sharpen them ... part of the process to keep the appropriate temper and just have the surface hard - obviously at the point the whole thing will be effected. Chemically sharpening a hook is not just about etching alone and they are apparently etched and hardened more than once in the process, or at least that is what the manufacturers claim. My daughter tells me there is a very good episode of "How It's Made" with hooks being made.

It was about 30 years ago I read the article but certainly what they said about not being able to hold a point for long after you have gone at it with a stone has always been backed up by my practical experience of using them since they first appeared over here ... that would fit in with the surface hardening. I also used to deal with a company that supplied surgical instruments that were sharpened using a similar process and all their bumf used to quote pretty much the same thing. I was buying them in for Military (non surgical) use and they used to throw them away when the blade dulled because nothing they tried could get the same reliable edge on them that they needed.

I use the Kamasan Aberdeens and they are wonderfully sharp when new from the packet. Regarding the Varivas BMX, I had my own doubts about points snapping as it happened once on a fish and a couple of times on rock in a hook snag. I thought about the situation as a whole and as to whether it affected the ability to catch and land fish and the effects of the sharpening. I have never lost a fish to a snapped point but, I have snapped plenty of hooks when in snags.

If a point snaps off when you have the fish on its no issue but that must be a rarity. Its more common "between fish" in my experience .. we notice it really bad down my way since the Oysters have started taking over the foreshore ... with certain brands you will lose one every other chuck where I fish for Bass which is annoying to say the least. Its not the cost I worry about so much as the time ... its a finicky job to change a hook on a clipped trace, particularly in the cold and can definitely spoil an otherwise enjoyable session. One of the best ways to avoid the issue I've found is to use circle hooks. They have a very fine point but it is pointing inward and so doesn't catch the bottom and suffer from damage as regularly as the more traditional patterns.

 

If memory serves me correctly it was something to do with them surface hardening the hooks when they chemically sharpen them ... part of the process to keep the appropriate temper and just have the surface hard - obviously at the point the whole thing will be effected. Chemically sharpening a hook is not just about etching alone and they are apparently etched and hardened more than once in the process, or at least that is what the manufacturers claim. My daughter tells me there is a very good episode of "How It's Made" with hooks being made.

It was about 30 years ago I read the article but certainly what they said about not being able to hold a point for long after you have gone at it with a stone has always been backed up by my practical experience of using them since they first appeared over here ... that would fit in with the surface hardening. I also used to deal with a company that supplied surgical instruments that were sharpened using a similar process and all their bumf used to quote pretty much the same thing. I was buying them in for Military (non surgical) use and they used to throw them away when the blade dulled because nothing they tried could get the same reliable edge on them that they needed.



If a point snaps off when you have the fish on its no issue but that must be a rarity. Its more common "between fish" in my experience .. we notice it really bad down my way since the Oysters have started taking over the foreshore ... with certain brands you will lose one every other chuck where I fish for Bass which is annoying to say the least. Its not the cost I worry about so much as the time ... its a finicky job to change a hook on a clipped trace, particularly in the cold and can definitely spoil an otherwise enjoyable session. One of the best ways to avoid the issue I've found is to use circle hooks. They have a very fine point but it is pointing inward and so doesn't catch the bottom and suffer from damage as regularly as the more traditional patterns.

Ah ok, it's not something we come across here, it's always a point against rock that does it pretty much with a heap of pressure trying to get free. I do notice using good quality circles like Owner Cutting Point SSW their points stay sharp for a long time as they aren't generally catching the sea bed a lot. They are brilliant for hooking huss and the shark family of species, but, I don't have much faith on certain other species. Again, they are an expensive option that I would use when cast onto sand, as over rock it makes for expensive losses.